This lemon cupcakes recipe comes from her brand new book The Pretty Dish, which has more than 150 recipes and 50 beauty DIYs inside. Jessica is so brilliant and such an overachiever that my boo had to come up with over 200 items to impress us with! Insane!

I first met Jessica at a blogger retreat that Heidi and Marie invited me to a couple of years ago. I just adored her from the very first second I spoke to her. She has such an incredible energy and joy and happens to be insanely down to earth considering how accomplished she is. I have to think of another word to describe my feeling for her other than love. Her talent is immense, and this book is one for the ages. I couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted to make but the words “mojito frosting” grabbed me y’all!

LEMON CUPCAKES

Now let me tell you about these incredible cupcakes. They are fluffy, buttery and tender. That’s basically everything you want in a cupcake. I love cupcakes made with cake flour because it is what I was raised on baking with. You always get a delicate end result, which I find delightful. The lemon kick is two fold with the zest and lemon extract. There is no doubt that the lemon shines in these.

MOJITO FROSTING

And lastly, let’s not forget about this incredible mojito frosting. It is creamy and smooth in texture. The lime zest is a nice contrast to the lemon in the cupcakes. The flavor is on point because both the cream cheese and rum add something special. I know these would be perfect for any fun spring and summer holiday get togethers you have or any upcoming barbecues. These cupcakes were the truth!

And if you love all things lemon, make sure you check out my Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake. It’s seriously one of my top cake recipes on the site. I love seeing my followers making it all year round.

Perfectly tender, moist and zesty lemon cupcakes get topped with the smoothest and most delicious mojito flavored buttercream.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake recipes, mojito, party food

Servings: 12cupcakes

Calories: 424kcal

Author: Jessica Merchant from The Pretty Dish

Ingredients

Fluffy Lemon Cupcakes:

1 ½cupscake flour

1teaspoonbaking powder

¼teaspoonsalt

½cupunsalted butterat room temperature

1cupsugar

1largeegg

1largeegg white

2tablespoonsvegetable oil

1tablespoonfreshly grated lemon zest

1teaspoonvanilla extract

½teaspoonpure lemon extract

½cupwhole milk

Mojito Frosting:

½cupunsalted butterat room temperature

½cupcream cheeseat room temperature

2 ½cupspowdered sugar

1teaspoonvanilla extract

1teaspoonfreshly grated lime zest

2teaspoonsrum

Fresh mint leavesfor garnish

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an elecric stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg white, beating on medium speed until combined. Add the oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon extract and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk with the mixer on and mix to combine. Pour in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until the batter is combined.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters of the way full. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden on top and set in the center. Let cool completely before frosting.

To Make the Mojito Frosting:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed of the mixer and beat the frosting, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until fluffy and combined. Beat in the vanilla, lime zest, and rum.

Comments

I made these cupcakes for Father’s Day at my church to celebrate the men. Let me tell you that they were more of a success than I could have ever imagined. They went really fast. I was asked if I was selling them.. LOL! I have used another lemon cupcake recipe and it did not come out as light and fluffy. Even after putting them in the fridge overnight, after they warmed to room temperature, the cupcake and the icing held up flawlessly… I tripled the batch and instead of buying cake flour, I just made my own! I am all about saving dollars! The frosting was the best part. My good girlfriends was in heaven with the frosting alone! Thank you for sharing this recipe and all that you do! Many blessings.